Liquid-dispenser



W. D. McCLAIN. LIQUID DISPENSER.

APPLICATION FILED MAHI18,1916.

Patented Mar.. 23, 1920.,

I V Y IIIII Inkl 0 ,W E j lill ' exact specification.

I UNITED; STATES PATENT OFFICE.

'WILLIAM D. MOCLAIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO 'WILLIAM MUCLAIN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A. CORPORATION 0F ILLINOIS.

LIQUID-Drsrnnsnn.

Specification o1! Letters Patent. Patented Mal'. 23, 1920.

` Appucauon and March 1s, 191e. serial No. 85,010.

T 0 all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, WILLIAM D. MCCLAIN, a cltizen of the United States, and resident of Chicago, in the county 'of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Liquid-Dispensers, of which the following is a full, clear, and

This invention relates to improvements in liquid dispensers, and particularly those types in which the liquid container or reservoir is maintained in a xed position and the contents thereof discharged either by gravity or by mechanical pressure, the one.

to the exclusion of the' other.

The prime object of my invention broadly stated is to utilize the combined operation of both gravity and pressure for dischargingthe contents of the container or reservoir, whereby the 'dispenser is adapted for materials ranging in viscosity from the thinnest liquid to as low as salves.

More specificallystated the object of my invention is to provide a means for discharging the liquid from the container or reservoir of a dispenser by gravity accelcrated by the force imparted by the plunger, and by which air at atmospheric pressure assisted by capillary attraction, is utilizedy 'to prevent accidental leakage.

A further object of my invention is to provide a liquid dispenser with means for introducing into the container or reservoir of a dispenser above the level of the liquid therein following every discharge of liquid therefrom, air at atmospheric pressure of a volume sufiicient to produce and insure the vdischarge of a predetermined quantity of the liquid at each stroke of the piston, however frequently repeated.

Another object of my invention isto provide a means by which the air supply passage to and the 'discharge passage from the container or reservoir are automatically hermetically sealed, when the plunger is at rest at the limit of its outward, that is to say its downward stroke.

A further object of my invention is to have the discharging devices for a liquid dispenser of a form of construction so simple and cheap that antiseptic materials may be used for their construction with commercial success, and the several arts thereofv may be convenientlyjand quic dy assembled and be secured against removal from the container.

With these ends inl View, my invention finds embodiment in certain features of nov elty in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts by which the said objects and certain otherobjects are, attained, all as hereinafter fully described with reference to the accompanying draw* ing, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In said drawing:

Figure 1 illustrates in side, elevation, partly in vertical section, a y liquid dispenser in which my invention finds embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view thereof with a portion of the container and supporting bracket arm therefor broken away. 4

' Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the end of the neck of the container for the dispenser with the plunger and cap removed therefrom.

gig. 4 is a vertical section of the plunger, an 1 i Fi 5 is a transverse section thereof on the l1ne 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Similar characters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the drawing.

6 indicates a suitable container or reservoir for the liquid to be dispensed, preferably constructed of suitable material, but

preferably of glass, provided top and bottom with necks 7 and 8, externally having screw-threads as indicated at 9 and 10, prefL erably formed integrally therewith, but may be separately therefrom, and secured thereto.

The filling neck 7 is closed by a removable screw-threaded cap 11 against a gasket 12 seated at the base of the neck for hermetically sealing the filling opening of the container.

Screw-threaded upon the neck 8 is a cap 13, provided with an inwardly projecting .tubular sleeve 14 open at both ends, the cap being hermetically sealed against the end of the neck by means of a gasket or other suitable annular packing 15.

- Projecting through the neck into the bodyof the container is a U-shaped open bracket 16, the free ends of which are bent outwardly as indicated at 17, across the end of the neck 8, and against which they are clamped bylthe operation of the nut tightening the packing to form a hermetically sealed joint between the cap and the neck, the U-shaped bracket being provided at the upper end with a perforation 18, furnishing a bearing for a stem 19. y

Removably seated against the upper end of the plunger 20 by means of a pin 2-1 passing through a perforation 22, in the stem 19 is a washer 2-3 provided upon its underside with a downwardly projecting fiange 24 adapted to surround the outer surface of the upper end of the sleeve 14, and for containing a packing 25, for hermetically sealing the Joint lbetween the washer and the sleeve, when the plunger is at the limit of its outward, that is to say in this instance, its downward stroke.

Surrounding the stem 19 and abutting against the washer and the upper end of the bracket 16 is a coiled spring 26, for normally maintaining the packing 25 seated against the end of the sleeve 14, and the Hange 24 encircling said end.

The fiange 24 serves both as a means for confining and centering the packing against the end of the sleeve, but the omlssion of the flange would be no substantial departure from my invention.

Plunger 20 is provided with a liquid discharge passage 27, which extends at an oblique angle to the axis of the plunger with its discharging end 28 at the axis of the plunger, and its inlet or receiving end 29 opening at the side of the plunger a short distance below the upper end of the plunger, with the result that the plunger must be moved upwardly above its seated position before the passage 27 is exposed to, or can receive any part of the liquid contents of the container.

The plunger' is also provided with an elongated groove forming a chamber 30, which as shown in the drawings terminates a short distance below the top of the plunger, the lower end of which chamber vis open for the admission ofA air at atmos- Eheric pressure when the (plunger is seated, ut is closed before the ischarge passage 27 is exposed to the liquid container.

In practice the cubic contents of the air chamber 30, and that of the inletto the discharge passage 27, is equal or substantially so, and for 'reasons which will be made apparent later on.l

contents of the The plunger is provided at its outer endl with knobs 31-31 respectively joined-by stems 32-32 to the adjacent end ofthe plunger to provide convenient surfaces for pressing the plunger upwardly into the container with the fingers or bythe pahn of the hand as may be,l and that there may be no obstruction to the discharge of the liquid from the passage 27.

As shown in the drawings the .dispenser is supported from the arm 33 projecting from a bracket 34 secured to any suitable fixed support by set-screws 35, which support may be the side wall of, or a post in a room wherein the dispenser is located.

For convenience and cheapness 'of construction the collar 13 may be east or otherwise secured to the supporting arm, as shown in Fig. 1.

It is now observed that the dispensing devices are of the fewest possible number of parts, very cheap of construction, Iquickly and easily assembled, and may be permanently secured, and as should be to the container whether Aof introducing between the screw-threads of the collar 13 and the neck of the container, cement before finally screwing the collar to its seated position.

With the container filled with any liquid or artly filled, as indicated in Fig. 1, or as fbr example, with liquid soap and hermetically sealed by the cap 11, and the plunger in its seated position as shown therein, a discharge of the liquid contents of the container may be had by pushing upwardly against the knobs 31 until the p unger is moved above its seat suliiciently to expose the inlet of the discharge passage 27 to the liquid contents of the container, before which however, the lower end of the air chamber 30 passes within and is closed by the sleeve 14.

With the continuous upward movement of the plunger from its seat the liquid likewise discharges from the container through the passage 27, the upward stroke of the plunger being preferably limited by the contact of the arms 32 with the opposing surface of the cap, but maybe by the spring 26 when fully compressed.

The discharge of the liquid from the passage 27 will cease whenever for any reason the plunger is brought to a standstill before reaching the limit of its u ward movement, but will commence agam as soon as that upward movement of the plunger is resumed.

The amount of liquid discharged from the lpassage 27 depends u on the degree of pressure exerted by the p unger against the contents of e container, which amount may be and 1s determined by the cubical contents of so much of the plunger and the length of its compressive stroke.

For discharging the same quantity of liquid from the4 passage 27 for every successive stroke of the plunger, the cubic contents of the air chamber, and that of the glass or metal, by

plunger above the inlet to the discharge passage must be equal, plus possible leakage of air around the plunger during its'v creasing with every successive stroke of the plunger, with the result that the amount of liquid discharged from the passage 27 is correspondingly decreased with every successive stroke of the plunger.

Now, although the air passage is in open communication with the contents of the container during and throughout the discharge of liquid from the passage 27, and which reduces the pressure in the cylinder to substantially atmospheric pressure, the air does not discharge from the air passage before the plunger begins its downward movement.

The reason for this seemingly appears to be that when, capillary attraction in the discharge passage operates to prevent a gravity discharge ofthe liquid from the passage 27, there remains in the container a very slight degree of pressure, but sufficient to resist the natural tendency of the air to ascend through the heavier liquid until a vacuum is produced by the withdrawal of the plunger therefrom, which vacuum is thereafter filled by the air discharged from the air chamber, and whereby the contents of the container is then normally exposed to atmospheric pressure.

It is also possible that the deflection of the passage 27 at an oblique angle to a line through the center of gravity of the liquid, reduces the gravity of the liquid and coperates with capillary attraction'in the passage to prevent the discharge of liquid therefrom by gravity,- when and for whatever length of time that passage may be exposed to the liquid contents of the container.

That by deflecting the passage 27 from the center of gravity of the liquid, a force is produced cooperating with capillary attraction to prevent the discharge of liquid from that passage during the time the plunger is off its seat, and throughout its movement until the passage is closed by the sleeve 29, is seemingly .apparent from the fact that repeated experlments have demonstrated that when the diameter of the passage is an eighth of an inch `instead of three-thirty seconds of an inch, as indicated in the drawing, there is following a discharge, no leakage through the passage when the plunger is at a standstill in any position it may have throughout the exposure of that passage to the liquid contents of the-container.

With the plunger provided with a packing, and in its seated position shown in Fig 1, and the discharge end of the air passage sealedfby the sleeve, as therein shown, the liquid contents of the container will to all intents and purposes be sealed therein until the plunger is moved upwardly ofil its seat.

In conclusion it is to be observedy that my invention is not limited to the specific details of construction herein shown, and described, as containing its tangible embodiment, but extends to and includes any form and arrangement of devices coperating with the liquid contents of a container or other reservoir directly or indirectly connected therewith, wherein the discharge of liquid therefrom is effected by the simultaneous co'perating of mechanical pressure with the gravity of the liquid and capillary attraction is utilized for preventing leakage through a discharge passage exposed thereto.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A liquid dispenser comprising in combination a container, a discharge passage therefor, means for simultaneously com.- pressing the vcontents of said container, eX- posing said passage to the liquid therein, and forcibly discharging the liquid from said passage.

2. A liquid dispenser comprising in combination a container, a discharge passage therefor, mechanical means for simultaneously compressing the contents of said container, exposing said passage to the liquid therein, and forcibly discharging the liquid from said passage.

3. A liquid dispenser comprising in combination a container, a liquid discharge passage and an air supply chamber therefor, a

plunger adapted for simultaneously closing the inner ends of said passage and chamber, and concurrently therewith openly exposing the outer ends of said chamber and said passage to air external thereto.

4:. A liquid dispenser comprising in combination a container, a plunger, a sleeve for said plunger projecting into the container, said plunger being provided with a longitudinal liquid discharge passage,and an air chamber separated therefrom, said cham- 4ber and passage being so arranged that when the plunger is seated, the upper ends of said chamber and passage are closed and the lower ends open, and that following the lifting of the plunger from its closing posiltion the air chamber is closed at its outer end, and open at its inner end in advance of the opening of the inner end of the discharge passage. r

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal, this lth'day of March, A. D. 1916.

WILLIAM D. MCCLAIN. [ns] Witnesses:

JOHN S. REYNOLDS, JOHN N. FLAMMANG. 

